30.5 F
Pittsburgh

Pirates Announce Three-Year Extensions For Huntington and Hurdle

Published:

The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced on Saturday that they have signed three-year extensions with both General Manager Neal Huntington and Manager Clint Hurdle. Both deals also come with 2018 options.

Huntington previously received a contract extension in 2011. The deal ran through the 2014 season, with an option for 2015. Hurdle was extended prior to the 2013 season, buying out his 2014 season and giving him an option for 2015.

Pirates President Frank Coonelly and Chairman Bob Nutting both issued statements on the extensions:

“Neal and Clint have led a team of baseball professionals, in the front office and on the field, that has transformed the Pittsburgh Pirates into a club that again must be reckoned with in the National League,” said Coonelly. “We are extremely pleased that they will continue to lead this team in Pittsburgh.”

“I have a tremendous amount of personal respect and appreciation for the impact that Neal, Clint and their staffs have had on our organization,” said Nutting. “My expectation has been and remains that they, led by Frank, will continue to play a lead role in our success for years to come.”

During Spring Training, Bob Nutting was asked whether there was any movement towards extensions for Huntington and Hurdle. Nutting declined to comment on any contract talks, but expressed that both men knew their value to the organization.

“I think what’s important to me is that they understand, and the organization understands that they’ve been critical pieces in getting us here, and my expectation is they’re going to be critically important pieces as we move forward to the future,” Nutting said at the time on Hurdle and Huntington. Hurdle was also asked about extension talks, and said that he wasn’t concerned with that topic.

The extensions follow a season where the Pirates won 94 games, and made it to game five of the NLDS. The Pirates also have been ranked as having one of the top three farm systems in the game, which speaks well to Huntington, as he inherited a barren farm system in 2008.

UPDATE 3:39 PM: According to Rob Biertempfel, the Pirates are now working on extensions for other assistant GMs and coaches.

The Assistant General Managers are Greg Smith and Kyle Stark.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

Related Articles

Latest Articles